ABSTRACT
One of the most contentious views today among some Muslims living under
non-Muslim rule – for example in Singapore or Australia – is that Muslims
in these countries are not somehow ‘fully’ Muslim. This supposes that
unless a Muslim’s life is governed by Islamic legal norms, the person’s
Islam is compromised. Citizenship of such countries is seen to be proble-
matic as it implies the voluntary acceptance of non-Muslim rule. Although
this view does not appear to be held by the vast majority of Muslims under
non-Muslim rule, it has a significant appeal among at least some Muslims who live as part of a minority. However small the number of these Muslims
may be, they utilise classical fiqh concepts such as dar al-Islam (abode of
Islam) and dar al-harb (abode of war) as well as the most uncompromising
views on Muslim residence under non-Muslim rule that were advocated in
classical fiqh. The widespread acceptance of such views, if this occurs, par-
ticularly among the youth in Muslim minority contexts, could have serious
consequences for these communities and those of which they are a part.
The purpose of this chapter is to survey the range of views among Muslims on the issue of Muslim residence under non-Muslim rule. It does not
attempt to cover the issue in any depth. While the examples provided in this
chapter are not specifically related to Asia, these ideas can easily be found
among certain sections of Muslim communities living under non-Muslim
rule in various parts of Asia.
